Deathly Hallows Alternate Ending Number 31
by TwiLyght Sans Sparkles
Summary: Snape finally gets to be the hero.


_This one hit me while watching _The Emperor's New Groove.

* * *

"Take...it..."

Severus Snape watched as Hermione conjured a flask out of thin air and handed it to Harry, who held it underneath Severus' head to catch the slivery-blue substance draining from his face. Memories.

His memories now in the flask, Harry and Hermione left the Shreiking Shack.

_So tired..._Severus rested his head on the floor and closed his eyes, letting death embrace him.

* * *

He awakened on a flat surface, neither warm nor cold, surrounded by mist. That was the first thing he noticed.

The second thing he noticed was that he was naked.

Panicking, Severus leapt to his feet as a set of clothes appeared beside him. His relief vanished when he saw, through the mist, a figure approaching him. To his horror, he saw that the figure was clearly and undeniably _female. _

Turning his back to her, he yanked on the clothes as quickly as he could. He had just pulled on the shirt when a soft hand touched his arm and a familiar voice spoke his name.

"Severus?"

He turned, eyes widening until they dominated his face. "_Lily_?"

Lily's mouth was set in a grim line. "Severus, what are you doing here?"

He stared at her in confusion for a moment. "Well, unless I'm mistaken, I'm here because that stupid snake killed me."

"Nagini didn't kill you."

"Lil, you think I'd _know _if she killed me or not!"

Her eyes narrowed. "You always were an early bird. Always jumping to conclusions, always had to be everywhere three hours early--"

"What are you saying, Lily?"

"I'm _saying _that you're not dead yet!"

He stared. "I...I'm not?"

"No! You're not! And every minute you spend here arguing with me increases the chance that you'll die before Voldemort is defeated!"

"But...I just gave Harry...I just told him what he needs to do--"

"And that'll help, but he still needs you. Dumbledore knew you'd both die; he also knew you'd both be able to come back." She reached into her pocket and handed him a piece of parchment. "Here. This is a recipe for a powerful poison that'll take care of Voldemort once and for all."

Severus was speechless.

"What are you waiting for?" Lily exclaimed. "Go! Go!"

He ran back through the mist.

* * *

His eyes opened slowly. He was still in the Shack, he saw, still lying in a pool of blood. The wound Nagini gave him still bled, though less than before.

Severus sat up, grabbed his wand, and tapped his left sleeve. It tore from his robe, and he tied it around his neck like a scarf to try and stop the bleeding. It was a temporary fix, but the best he had under the circumstances.

_Now where is that..._He checked his pocket, and the recipe Lily had given him was there. He smiled. So it _hadn't_ been a dream after all.

Severus stood and walked slowly to the nearest shop. Chances were they'd have a cauldron, and from there he could simply use a Summoning Charm to get the ingredients he needed.

He smiled. Time to finish Voldemort once and for all.

* * *

The entire Great Hall held their breath as Harry and Voldemort circled each other. Severus watched from the edge of the crowd, thinking Harry had it covered...

...until Voldemort knocked the wand from his hand and moved toward him menacingly. Severus knew that the time to act had come. Using the last of his stregnth, he ran through the crowd, holding the bottle of poison above his head.

"LILYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!"

Before anyone could react, he smashed the bottle on the floor. Red vapors rose up and engulfed Voldemort, and Severus smiled, sinking to his knees. From the cloud, a high, cold voice cried,

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!"

The smile faded when the smoke cleared. There stood a llama, bald and emaciated, with huge red eyes that stared directly at Severus.

"But...a _llama_?" Severus whispered. "He's...he's supposed to be...dead..."

"So are you!" Voldemort the Llama cried.

Severus slowly lay down on the floor. Death had come for him again. "So will I...soon enough."

Harry knelt next to him. "No...Snape...you can't!"

"Can't...help it..." Breathing was becoming a task too difficult to accomplish. Suddenly, he laughed. The idea of Voldemort spending the rest of his life as a llama was hilarious.

His last breath passed through his lips as a laugh.

* * *

Severus awakened once more, only this time he was fully clothed and Lily was standing over him, grinning.

"It worked," she said.

A grin spread across his face as well. "You little...you _told_ me it was poison."

"Well, I had to tell you _something _to get you to turn him into a llama!"

He laughed and stood, and Lily laughed with him. "So what now?"

"We move on."

He knew what she meant, and he smiled too. Eternity with Lily was enough to make up for the agony of death. "What about the others, though?"

Lily took his hand. "They can handle themselves. Harry's a bright boy."

Severus smiled into her eyes, and together they walked out of the train station and toward the waiting train.

* * *


End file.
